REMOVAL OF SOC. SEC. NUMBERS S.B. 1452-1454: COMMITTEE SUMMARY






Senate Bills 1452, 1453, and 1454 (as introduced 9-19-06)
Sponsor: Senator Bev Hammerstrom
Committee: Local, Urban and State Affairs


Date Completed: 11-29-06

CONTENT The bills would amend various statutes to require a register of deeds, beginning January 1, 2007, to remove or obscure all or a portion of a Social Security number on a document before recording or providing a copy of it, and permit a Social Security number to be removed or obscured beginning January 1, 2006, except as otherwise required by law.

The bills would take effect on January 1, 2007.

Senate Bill 1452
The bill would amend Public Act 25 of 1836, which authorizes the board of supervisors of a county that is attached to another county for judicial purposes, to direct its register of deeds to record in books a complete copy of all deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, or other instruments relating to the title of land in the county and on record in the county to which it is attached. Under the bill, beginning January 1, 2006, if a register of deeds provided a person with a copy of an instrument from a book of records that contained a Social Security number, the register of deeds could obscure or remove all or at least five digits of the number from the copy before providing it, unless State or Federal law, rule, regulation, or court order or rule required that the Social Security number appear in the instrument or copies of it.


Beginning January 1, 2007, the register of deeds would be required to obscure or remove all or at least five digits of the Social Security number from the copy before providing it, unless State or Federal law, rule, regulation or court order or rule required the number to appear.


The Act requires the register of deeds or his or her deputy to certify each copy as a true copy of the original record. Under the bill, if the register had obscured or removed Social Security information from the copy, that fact would have to be included in the certification.

Senate Bill 1453
The bill would amend Public Act 103 of 1937, which prescribes conditions for the execution of instruments to be recorded in the register of deeds office. Under the bill, beginning January 1, 2007, these conditions would include a requirement that any complete or partial Social Security number appearing in or on the instrument be obscured or removed, unless State or Federal law, rule, regulation, or court order or rule required that all or more than four sequential digits of the Social Security number appear in the instrument.


Senate Bill 1454

The bill would amend Public Act 20 of 1867, which requires a register of deeds to record on the books in his or her office all deeds, mortgages, maps, instruments or writings authorized by law to be recorded, and left with the register of deeds for that purpose, upon payment of the proper fee. Under the bill, beginning January 1, 2006, if a register of deeds received an instrument or reproduction of an instrument that contained a Social Security number, the register could obscure or remove all or at least five digits of the number from the document before recording it.


Beginning January 1, 2007, the register of deeds would be required to obscure or remove all or at least five digits of the Social Security number from the instrument or reproduction before recording it.


These provisions would not apply if State or Federal law, rule, regulation, or court order or rule required that the Social Security number appear in the instrument.


MCL 565.581 (S.B. 1452) Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker 565.201 (S.B. 1543) 565.491 (S.B. 1454)

FISCAL IMPACT
The bills would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.

Fiscal Analyst: David Zin

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1452-1454/0506